I can see Russia from my house — Tina Fey’s satirical take on Sarah Palin’s foreign policy credentials. Palin’s actual summation of what qualified her to deal with Russia wasn’t much better: “They’re our next-door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.” Variations are used to mock those (usually but not always Palin herself) who don’t let their ignorance of a given subject stand in the way of offering opinions that they expect others to take seriously.

Wingnut Event Horizon – the controversial notion that the elements of teh crazy and teh stupid ubiquitous to wingnut behavior will reach a measurable or verifiable zenith whereby collective wingnuttery can be declared to have reached its “peak”.

This whole dictionary thing has really help me figure out some of the patois of Balloon Juice–and has given me plenty o’laughs at the same time.

McMegan–her secret sauce is a tall skinny latte which she got by stepping over the bodies of the homeless on the way into a Starbucks while complaining on her iPhone to her glibertarian friends about how she is so underappreciated so she is going Jane Galt in her four-hundred dollar stilettos–as long as daddy continues to pay her allowance.

teabaggers: originally a group of tax averse libertarians that decided to mail teabags to their Congressmen. This movement adopted a name that’s slang for a sex act illustrating how out of touch the movement is with young voters.

I’ve always been a little confused as to whether McMeghan was McCain or McArdle. Now I know.

Should the official def include some insights into her insights, such as ‘pro-life terrorists are forced into terrorism when democracy rules against them’, or the less provocative ‘insurance premiums go up? I did not know that!’?

BDS: Bush Derangement Syndrome – The accusation that person is antagonistic towards Bush administration policies for no other reason than Bush is associated with it. (Often levied at persons who push theories regarding the invalidity of the 2000 or 2004 elections) May or may not be a valid accusation

ODS: Obama Derangement Syndrome – The accusation that person is antagonistic towards Obama administration policies for no other reason than Obama is associated with it. Created as a parallel to the earlier accusations of Bush Derangement Syndrome. (Often levied at persons who push theories regarding the invalidity President Obama’s citizenship, or religion, or desire to rule the world with his vast terrorist organization… COBRAAAAAAAA)

: The Chewbacca defense is a fictional legal strategy used in episode 27 of South Park, “Chef Aid”, which premiered on October 7, 1998, as the fourteenth episode of the second season. The aim of the argument is to deliberately confuse the jury. The concept satirized attorney Johnnie Cochran’s closing argument defending O. J. Simpson in his murder trial. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chewbacca_defense

Often used to mock any political statement that tries to draw together a number of conflicting positions or unrelated topics by oversimplifying or demonizing a large group or ideology.

Example: Glenn Beck using random political jargon to misspell the word “OLIGARCHY” and label the Obama Admin. Rep. Steve King (R-GA) claiming that gay marriage is a plot to install a socialist regime because both are radical and do not make sense.

Tinkerbell Strategy: From the Broadway adoption of the children’s story “Peter Pan”, when the fairy Tinkerbell is nearly killed, Peter Pan implores the audience to chant “I do believe in fairies” and clap their hands to restore Tinkerbell to life.

The Tinkerbell Strategy is referred to when mocking political initiatives – typically wars – that are not going well. When a politician demands verbal political support from his constituents or a national audience, on the grounds that not offering verbal affirmation will “hurt the [war] effort”, he is said to be employing the Tinkerbell Strategy.

KMBA: Kiss My Black Ass. A rhetorical strategy often employed by a speaker who doesn’t care if he pisses off one part of his constituency or audience.

Teabaggers (pl. n.) – Wingnut tax protesters who have somehow corrupted the notion of the Boston Tea Party into “teabagging.” Hilariously unaware of the colloquial usage of the term. Frequently sub-literate morans who lack a sense of irony. Teabagging events often act as gravity wells for the most deranged elements of the far right.

Clap Louder is referring to a line from Peter Pan. “If you believe in fairies…clap your hands.” It’s a statement on how an argument or idea has left this mortal coil and is now in the realm of fantasy, and for the argument or idea to succeed one needs to double down on the Fantasy vs. Reality challenge.

Burkean Bells – David Brooks referred to “Burkean alarm bells” warning him of the impending failure of Obama’s domestic policies. Now many of us hear Burkean bells whenever we hear conservatives saying or doing something particularly stupid.

I don’t think this is quite right. Perhaps:
Burkean Bells – David Brooks referred to “Burkean alarm bells” warning him of the impending failure of Obama’s domestic policies. Now mockingly, wingnuts speaking in a language only they can understand.

Wingnut Voltron is when several smaller right-wing outrage machines combine to form one giant Outrage-o-matic over some imagined slight or scandal. Michelle Malkin is usually the head (see: Our Lady of Perpetual Outrage).

@SpotWeld: Actually, the wingers tended to charge anyone who was angry about Bush’s actions with Bush Derangement Syndrome. The worse he got, the angrier we got, and the more we were supposedly afflicted with BDS and thus didn’t need to be taken seriously.

Against the war? BDS! Think waterboarding is torture and torture is wrong? BDS! Opposed to the government being able to spy on your conversations without warrants? BDS!

Fainting couch: For those times when clutching pearls just isn’t enough (see pearl clutching).

[Insert your name here] plus [insert number greater than zero here]: Use this standard style signature at the end of your posts to announce how many drinks you had at the time of writing. Stolen from Dan Rather of “Dan Rather, plus three” fame.

Speaking for myself only: (Can’t find the first BJ post where it was referenced). The primaries were bad days.

Known Unknowns (pl. n.) – Pseudo-philosophical nonsense spewed by Washington officials to make themselves look like capable administrators. Such statements, if true, would actually prove they knew nothing more than the rest of us. Coined from former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s maddeningly Carollesque press conference on Feb. 12, 2002.

It might not be appropriate to rake Little Green Footballs (LGF) over the coals. That site just delinked from Powerline and appears to be slowly returning to sanity.

Yes, yes, I know LGF was the site that had threads where you found suggestions involving using a bowie knife to cut off liberals’ heads in the manner of Daniel Pearl getting executed on video by terrorists… But John Cole said some pretty strange things prior to 2005 and nobody holds a grudge, so, I mean, c’mon.

Two suggestions for things I’ve heard but amn’t sure of: “indeed, it is central to my point”, which I think is Goldberg, and also too Das Pantload’s blerb for his own book, “Never before has the idea been examined to seriously, or documented with such thorough research”. I tried to google it, but it didn’t come up.

I thought there was a historical source for Burkean Bells. Some over-the-top vision or something somewhere in his writings perhaps.

Something like this one:

EDMUND BURKE ON MARIE-ANTOINETTE

“It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution….Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded….”

@Jen R: I see your point, but I wanted to keep things simple.
There were some really out there conspiracy theories re: Bush and I can’t in all honesty say there wasn’t some nasty blogging going on that was hate for Bush simply becuase he was Bush.

the in the longer quote the carillons of sober conservatism peal even more wildly:

“It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then the dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like the morning star full of life and splendor and joy. 0h, what a revolution! and what a heart must I have, to contemplate without emotion that elevation and that fall! Little did I dream, when she added titles of veneration to those of enthusiastic, distant, respectful love, that she should ever be obliged to carry the sharp antidote against disgrace concealed in that bosom; little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fallen upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor, and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look that threatened her with insult.

But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded, and the glory of Europe is extinguished forever. Never, never more, shall we behold that generous loyalty to rank and sex, that proud submission, that dignified obedience, that subordination of the heart, which kept alive, even in servitude itself, the spirit of an exalted freedom! The unbought grace of life, the cheap defense of nations, the nurse of manly sentiment and heroic enterprise is gone. It is gone, that sensibility of principle, that chastity of honor, which felt a stain like a wound, which inspired courage whilst it mitigated ferocity, which ennobled whatever it touched, and under which vice itself lost half its evil, by losing all its grossness.”

@SpotWeld: Don’t know how to put this in a dictionary, but what is really needed is:

*DS – Whatever Derangement Syndrome. A term used to dismiss all criticism of someone because it is obviously based on personal animosity and couldn’t possibly be due to the actions or positions of the person being criticized. There is no rebuttal to an accusation of *DS, so it also serves as a marker for the end of the conversation.

A meme based on Donald Rumsfeld’s answer to a journalist’s question about why the military was so unprepared for a war of choice. Rumsfeld’s original statement was As you know, you go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.

Rickroll: misrepresented link that’s supposed to be relevant to the discussion at hand but sends the user to that annoying music video. Can unfortunately occur before the user has had their morning coffee

He has a book to sell – Attack used to defame any whistle blower, insider account or opponent of one’s own worldview, if said opponent has authored a book. The fact that in general the method for spreading an idea or allegation in modern society is by first authoring a book or magazine article, and then being interviewed in the press. Useful for simply disregarding an argument, not matter how factual or valid, simply by implying a profit motive. Considered a valid attack even if the author already has substantial personal wealth.

Former wingnut site now undergoing painful detox as founder Charles Johnson tries desperately and unsuccessfully to avoid being labeled as another “John Cole librul RINO Jihadi ACORN loving commie facist”. Specifically known for picking high profile fights with Robert Stacey McCain, Pam Gellar and other wingnut racists and white supremacists.

Clown Shoes: distinctly different from cement overshoes in that they don’t sink anything, even a reputation; yes, the wearer is clearly walking in the shoes of a bozo, but you can’t expect the media to notice something that’s shiny, fiery red, and in plain sight.

Ticking Time Bomb: A hypothetical scenario where a huge number of lives are at risk due to an imminent danger and the only means of saving these lives is to retrieve information from an unwilling criminal (usually a terrorist). The scenario is often cited as a rationalization for torture of prisoners; though the possibility of such a situation ever occurring in reality is pretty much non-existent and the reliability of information obtained through such methods would always be questionable at best.

24 (TV Show): A dramatic action television show on the FOX network most notable for its “real time” progression of events. (Each season covers 24 hours of time shown through 24 1-hour episodes). A common plot device is the main character’s struggle to resolve a “Ticking Time Bomb Scenario”. Often cited as justification for torture despite the fact it is fiction.

I smell a Pulitzer!: A phrase that is used to refer to a particularly egregious example of journalistic incompetence.

Tire gauges: Handy and simple vehicle maintenance tools handed out to reporters and other interested parties by Republicans during the general election campaign of 2008. The GOP did this to mock then-senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama’s supposedly simplistic suggestion, made during a campaign speech, that people keep the tires on their cars inflated to the proper pressure to help them conserve fuel. The gimmick backfired, however, when AAA, NASCAR, and other reality- and automotive-based groups and individuals confirmed that this was in fact good advice.

Palling around with terrorists: An accusation made by then-vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin against Barack Obama, in reference to Obama’s friendly working relationship with one-time Weatherman and now education professor William Ayres on an education administration project in Chicago. This accusation was incorporated into campaign speeches made to crowds that tended to holler racist and violent epithets in response to Palin’s speeches.

Spoof: Someone who posts an inflammatory comment in a thread not because it expresses his/her actual opinion, but for the sole purpose of goading the other commenters into flying off the handle. This tactic usually works like a charm.

Birfer
“Crazy people who think Barack Obama was not born in Hawaii, USA. They Claim his Birth Certificate (COLB) is a fake, he was born in Kenya, making him ineligible to be President. Groups that fall under Birfers: PUMA, Fringe Right-wing Blogs, Conspiracy people, Bigots, Sore Losers and mentally unstable.” Urban Dictionary.

Birther
A derisive term for a person who believes Barack Obama was not born in Hawaii or that his birth certificate image is a forgery.

Proofer
Someone unwilling to admit that President Obama is ineligible, but nevertheless demands additional proof.

The Overton Window, and the moving thereof = Slow, incremental shifting of the political discourse until calling the sitting president Hitler is considered a reasonable thing to say. See, also, center-right nation.

Ok, here is my stab at Wingnut Event Horizon as I interpret it. I could be way off.

Wingnut Event Horizon: much like a general relativity event horizon, the wingnut event horizon is a boundary in spacetime in which events do not affect the outside observer. An example would be the wingnut response to accusations of racism and extremism related to the teabagger rallies. The Wingnut response is that the teabaggers are just “calm, but passionate, supporters of limited government”. This response is presented in spite of evidence to the contrary.

America’s Concern Troll: coined by Atta J. Turk of Rising Hegemon, refers to the Washington Post’s putative liberal columnist Richard “Dickie” Cohen. Among Cohen’s greatest Concerns: Al Gore should abandon the 2000 recount because Tom Delay is really mean; the invasion of Iraq and torture are justified because Dickie Cohen needed ‘therapeutic violence’ after having seen 9/11 on his teevee; Dickie’s second grade teacher told him he was funny, therefore Dickie judges Stephen Colbert to be unfunny, and simply rude.

I can see Russia from my house: A satirical statement that became commonly attributed to Sarah Palin — actual person being satirized — during the 2008 US Presidential campaign. This phenomenon may be characteristic of a tendency in politics (perhaps not necessary in all cases) to caricaturize one’s political opponents; see Who among us does not love NASCAR?

The Black Jimmy Carter – First used as an insult to Barack Obama in January 2008 (being compared to Jimmy Carter is the worst thing that can be done to a President according to wingnut logic), the phrase has a two-fold job: to infer an aura of failure around the Obama Administration, as pop culture has rendered the Carter Presidency a failure, and to excite conservative base activists that the second coming of Reagan is at hand.

Commander Codpiece: derogatory nickname given to President George Bush after his landing on a US aircraft carrier on May 1, 2003 dressed in a naval flight suit to pronounce victory in the Iraq war. Bush’s flight gear caused an obvious bulge in Bush’s groin area. Due to the behavior of the beltway media over the event, it is postulated that most members the Beltway media cum in their drawers when speaking of the episode.

Christ, John, a bunch of us already gave you definitions for a many of these in the other thread, you lazy arse.

spoof: (var. “spoof-troll”): a left-leaning commenter who assumes the persona and/or positions of an unintelligent rightwing commenter (see “fucktard”) for purposes of parody.
Also used as a generic putdown for genuine rightwing commenters of the dimwitted talking-point-spewing variety. (see L., Paul; Makewi) “Makewi is a bad spoof.”Darrell: legendary right-wing Balloon-Juice commentator, known for ability to drive even the calmest individuals into a rage. Often accused opponents of being dishonest, stating “It’s who you are.” Threads with Darrell present often reached over 300 comments, due to the arguments that would ensue. Was often thought to be John Cole himself, or one of his proxies, due to John’s inexplicable refusal to ban him. Disappeared for good (we think) sometime in 2008.Wingnut Voltron: The act when the right wing blogosphere comes together to form a powerful and passionate opposition to important things, such as scarves in a donut commercial. Derived from the childrens’ cartoon Voltron.Schiavo: Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) for several years, had been under a “do not resucitate” order, given by her husband, Michael. Terri’s parents argued that Terri was conscious and fought the order. Increasing media attention led to involvement by politicians and advocacy groups, particularly those involved in the pro-life movement and disability rights, including members of the Florida Legislature, the United States Congress, and the President of the United States. The sight of so many prominent Republicans inserting themselves into what John considered a private family matter was one more straw on the camel’s back, eventually leading to him leaving the Republican party.He has a book to sell: Derived from the right-wing tendency to dismiss any legitimate criticism from a former party member, where they claim cynically that the individual is simply trying to drum up book sales. See “Clarke, Richard A.”The decider: Mocking terminology for former President Bush. Originated when, under attack for not firing Donald Rumsfeld, Bush replied, “But I’m the decider, and I decide what is best. And what’s best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense.” Term is now used to mock Bush’s legendary refusal to change his mind on a course of action, regardless of how many facts were presented to him.

Mission Accomplished: A reference to the banner hung on the USS Abraham Lincoln when it returned home after deployment during the invasion of Iraq. The event was notable for the President George W. Bush’s arrival with much fanfare via fighter jet on the ship’s carrier deck. The banner which was to celebrate the cessation of “major combat operations” became a subject of dark humor as the war continued on with rising casualties against various Iraqi insurgency forces. Often used as a refernce of the Bush administration’s apparent detachment from reality (see also Friedman Unit)

Ticking-Bomb Scenario = 24-based hypothesis that if you had a hold of a terrorist who knew the exact location of a bomb that is going to kill bajillions of people in, say, 57 minutes, it would be immoral not to torture the terrorist a la Jack Bauer in order to save the lives of the eleven billionty innocent people. Never mind the fact that this scenario only happens in the movies and on the TV machine. Never mind that the terrorist is likely to give you a bunch of bullshit rather than tell you the truth. See, also, 24 plot.

dmsilev, oh, I know (about the Overton Window). I was just applying it to the current political climate.

Okay, I think my Clap Louder definition above was pretty good but you people want more, always more.
Here’s the original cite to my knowledge. Ted from Crooked Timber all the way back in 2003. Perhaps the first mention of the Tinkerbell Strategy and Clap Louder:http://crookedtimber.org/2003/.....l-thought/

High Broderism—whereby a centerright pundit, often Broder himself, decrees that bipartisanship is a good thing and can be achieved if only everyone would agree with the centerright pundit. For the last ten years or so High Broderism has been the shorter version of vertually every oped from David Broder.

As used by conservatives, a synonym for bad. An economic form that inevitably lands in moderation on Balloon Juice, because letters 3 through 8 occur in so very much spam, and have excitingly naughty effects.

“It wasn’t a statistic–it was a hypothetical.” – Dubious quote by The Atlantic blogger Megan McArdle clarifying a statement that asserted a decrease in medical innovation if the US were to adopt a form of national health care plan due to European drug companies receiving 80% of their revenue from the US. Also see: McArdle, Megan.

And since Darrell is in that list, should DougJ get an entry in the dictionary for his legendary trolling/spoofery as well?

Christ, John, a bunch of us already gave you definitions for a many of these in the other thread, you lazy arse.

Was about to say the same thing. I like your definition for Darrell. I think there should also be a reference to “Darrelling” a thread – to derail a thread with a series of ad hominem attacks, off-topic diversions (see jackalope) and brazen distortions and outright lies. The perpetrator of a Darrelling is immune to all facts and reason, pathologically incapable of admitting error, and absolutely will not stop, ever, until a) they are banned, b) people wise up and stop responding, or c) the heat death of the universe (whichever comes first). They may also display an inappropriate degree of interest in Boy Scouts.

I also like “We are all DougJ” – snide response to a widely discredited yet strangely compelling theory that almost all BJ commenters are actually personas written by John Cole and/or spoofmaster DougJ as part of a vast, shadowy conspiracy to … we don’t know what, exactly.

Spectering – Named after Arlen Specter (R-PA). The act of raising “grave concerns” about a particular policy (e.g. retroactively exonerating the administration officials who authorized the Bush torture policy) but always ultimatey caving in and voting the party line anyway. This act was perfected by Specter and other “moderate” Republicans during Bush’s second term.

He has a book to sell – a means of discrediting former adminstration or military personnel who expose criminal or unethical actions after they leave their positions. These people are saying false or misleading things “because they have a book to sell”.

We’re missing Qs, Xs and Zs at the very least. Don’t know if this conforms to all internet traditions, but I’ve always thought of ZOMG as something one says while feigning to clutch one’s pearls and collapsing (Alternately?) onto the fainting couch.

“President McCain” The daily/weekly habit of the media to invite John McCain on to the teevee to explain why the actual elected president is wrong.
I’ll assume it was Atrios who first started using the phrase. He popularized it if not originated it.

Southern Strategy — First used by Republican Richard Millhouse Nixon as an electoral strategy to attract former southern white voters who previous to the civil rights legislation in the 1960’s had largely voted democratic. Although the strategy paid off for the GOP during the next 40 years, it now has made the GOP the party of hateful teabagging morans (see wingnut), and caused the northeast US to likewise turn democratic thus trumping the electoral advantage enjoyed by the GOP for welcoming racist idjits into their party.

Based on a statement by Peggy Noonan, purported journalistic type, during a discussion about the release of the torture memos. Some things in life need to be mysterious. Sometimes you need to just keep walking. Used sarcastically to taunt a subject person about their inability to face reality.

1. I think that it is terrible policy to call out an individual commenter for ridicule.

2. Darrell was a rightwing commenter who had inflexible opinions and an apparently inexhaustible amount of free time. Many thought that he was a troll. I disagree. He seemed sincere in his beliefs and no more disagreeable than some of our prolific leftwing commenters. That does not mean he was agreeable; it meant that we had some equally unbearable shit-throwers on the left. Fewer now, thank FSM.

For what it’s worth I do not think Balloon Juice ever had that many trolls. Most of our now-gone rightwingers would meet you halfway if you made a sincere effort. Of the minority who qualify, the only one whom most of our current readers would know is DougJ in spoof mode.

A Geraldine Ferraro – n – making blatantly racists and uncouth statements about your opponent, then accusing them of playing the race card when they point out that what you just said was, in fact, racist.

Daydream believers – fantasists in the Bush administration who were able to act out their boss’s delusion of “makin’ Murka safe” by bombing brown people to make democracy break out. Fred Kaplan of Slate wrote a book of the same name, and I assume he coined the phrase.

I think there should also be a reference to “Darrelling” a thread – to derail a thread with a series of ad hominem attacks, off-topic diversions (see jackalope) and brazen distortions and outright lies. The perpetrator of a Darrelling is immune to all facts and reason, pathologically incapable of admitting error, and absolutely will not stop, ever, until a) they are banned, b) people wise up and stop responding, or c) the heat death of the universe (whichever comes first). They may also display an inappropriate degree of interest in Boy Scouts.
I also like “We are all DougJ” – snide response to a widely discredited yet strangely compelling theory that almost all BJ commenters are actually personas written by John Cole and/or spoofmaster DougJ as part of a vast, shadowy conspiracy to … we don’t know what, exactly.

Seconded — there definitely needs to be a reference to DougJ in the “spoof” definition as well, as he is basically the grandfather of the art.

“Backwards Letter B”: A reference to a McCain election campaign volunteer who claimed she was robbed by a black assailant and had a backwards letter “B” scratched onto her face after he noticed a McCain election sticker on her car. It later came out that the story was a total fabrication. The mark is now referenced as means of sarcastically calling someone out on imagined or non-existent victimhood imposed by the Obama admistration.

You know, the BJ dictionary is rapidly reaching the point where it deserves its own site, presented as a snapshot of a particular subculture at a particular time. Something like The New Hacker’s Dictionary.

@Comrade Darkness: Yeah, something like that. Even though the Clenis himself did it first with the Jesse Jackson kerfuffle, I think Geraldine did it with so much less tact, it’s worth remembering her for.

@Comrade Darkness: Yeah, something like that. Even though the Clenis himself did it first with the Jesse Jackson kerfuffle, I think Geraldine did it with so much less tact, it’s worth remembering her for.

You’re close Re the history of GSAVE — the renaming of the Global War on Terror (GWOT — also should be an entry?) was proposed by the Pentagon in early 2004, since they’d figured out that dealing with terrorists was going to be something like 10% military and 90% other stuff like intel and police work. And GWOT was counter-productive because it encouraged garden-variety Muslims to think the US was waging a global crusade against Islam.

The new term was nixed at the White House. Dubbya thought of himself as a “war president”, and that’s how he sold himself in the 2004 election. And he attacked Kerry mercilessly for not taking the GWOT seriously — thinking it was “just” a matter of police work, etc.

Of course, the MSM conveniently forgot that Bush’s own Secretary of Defense and Joint Chiefs Chairman wanted out of the GWOT business. And now, with the phasing out of the GWOT terminology by the Obama Admin, it’s as if what the Bush Pentagon wanted to do 5 years ago had never happened.

Nobody else has tried Schiavo yet, but as reading John’s posts during that time is what turned me into a Balloon Juice regular (OK, regular lurker, but still)…

Schiavo — the moment of insanity that drove John to sanity. In particular, the cruel grandstanding of national GOP figures into diagnosing a woman’s disabilities on the national stage using medical knowledge even less keenly honed then their skills at evolution or WMD detection.

Not sure how folks are getting hyperlinks to display in a different color from text. Comment #20 has embedded links (A and B) for “and a pony,” but you have to mouse over to see it. Belle Waring’s cite is “A.”

Not sure how folks are getting hyperlinks to display in a different color from text.

The site seems to think that everything in all caps is an acronym, and might have a definition attached, and so styles it differently from plain text and blows away the styling of hyperlinks. The is true even if the all caps word is one character long.

OT, but, any chance that the balloon juice image will be clickable and not just the “Consistently wrong since 2002.” text? The image is a bigger target and it would make it faster and easier to get to the front page…

The belief that the success of failure of military missions depends upon the willingness of the domestic media, political leadership, and populace to laud the missions’ success in public discourse. A reference to the stage version of the Disney film “Peter Pan,” in which a fairy named Tinkerbell drinks poison, and is in danger of dying, until the actor playing Peter Pan urges the audience to clap for Tinkerbell in order to save her. The audience is exhorted to “Clap Louder!” or Tinkerbell will die, just as the public and press are exhorted to “Clap Louder!” for the war, or it will be lost.

Inane non sequitur that ironically confirms that the speaker has absolutely no knowledge about a subject. Inspired by Sarah Palin’s first attempt to demonstrate a grasp of foreign policy: “You can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska.”

Palin’s statement inspired the famous Krista Rejoinder: “And when I look out my window I can see the moon. Doesn’t make me a fucking astronaut now, does it?”

Crazy Jesus Dolphin Lady – Nickname for former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan, based on a column she wrote for the Wall Street Journal about the Elian Gonzalez affair. Sometimes also “Magic Dolphin Lady.” See Nooners.

Crazy Jesus Dolphin Lady – Nickname for former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan, based on a column she wrote for the Wall Street Journal about the Elian Gonzalez affair. Sometimes also “Magic Dolphin Lady.” See Nooners.

A demand for unquestioning approval of US military action regardles of the circumstance. The bogus premise is that if you fail to support the political action that involved the deployment of American military forces, then you must hate individual soldiers or the US military in general.

@RedKitten: BIRDZILLA was fabulous. I recall one wonderful thread that featured a particularly loony BIRDZILLA attack, followed soon after by a commenter saying that his/her cat had just eaten BIRDZILLA, followed in turn by someone commenting that s/he’d hate to have to clean that litterbox… Good times.

John/Tim/whoever – could you remove the references to Makewi/Paul L in the spoof definition? I was just being an asshole when
I wrote that; didn’t figure it would be used (or at least not in its entirety).

Chunky Reese Witherspoon: Would be college conquest of New York Times’ Conservative columnist Ross Douthat. He describes their encounter with words like ‘masticating’ and considers it ‘successful’ even though he implies a total loss of interest when she mentions that she’s currently taking Birth Control. Source here.

Generally referenced because this classless WTF moment acts as a microcosm of Douthat’s general thinking, writing style, and conservativism.

GSAVE = Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism. A more reasoned alternative to the term “Global War on Terror” that nevertheless met found little favor among G.W. Bush Administration officials outside the military.

Brick Oven Bill – Balloon Juice commenter that is a resident expert on oil shale, pizza baking, forced biodiversity programs, and the attractiveness of females at Glenn Beck’s “9/12” and “Tea Party” gatherings. Allegedly traumatized by watching lesbians fighting at a Chinese restaurant and contemplated a new band called “Iron Teabag”. Rumored to be a spoof but evidence has been inconclusive thus far.

birthers: any one who believes that Barrack Obama presidency is the successful culmination of a grand conspiracy to undermind the Constitution, which was started in the 60’s by his parents, the State of Hawaii, the government of Kenya, the media, the Democratic party, and (most likely) George Soros. See also: lunatic

Peak Wingnut Theory = a theory which holds there is a maximum point of political crazy among wingnuts. The theory holds that at some point, the crazy must recede and sanity return.

Wingularity = a theory holding that the insanity from the far right and those controlling the Republican Party will continue to grow exponentially until it reaches an unsustainable weight and collapses upon itself. This is also known as the Purity Spiral, wherein the density of wingnut increases compared to mainstream conservatives to the point of pure wingnut. As the ratio rises, this creates a phenomenon wherein no logic or sanity can penetrate or escape the Wingularity.

Wingnut Event Horizon = the point at which one approaches so close to the Wingularity that it begins to distort said person’s world view so much that the insanity of wingnuts begins to sound reasonable.

The first two definitions are taken from my blog (which has been criminally inactive due to real life getting in the way).

Whitey Tape: The non-existent video evidence of Michelle Obama saying “Whitey!!!!!” that would have proven the Obamas are racist and unfit for the White House. A creation of the PUMA movement, it was used as a desperate attempt to derail the Obama nomination. Proof that wishing real hard don’t make it so. Prototypical example of a political movement pinning their hopes on an fabricated smear.
See Wonkette, Yglesias

Terri Schiavo was *not* put under a “stop giving medical treatment” order by her *husband*. This is crucially important, and I’ll ask you to think very carefully about what this says about the Schiavo situation, and the amount of misinformation spread about it.

Her husband, as guardian, had the *right* to refuse all further medical treatment for her, but chose not to. Instead, he went to the court, and asked the court to act on Terri’s behalf.

This gave her birth family a chance to present evidence and witnesses that Terri would continue medical treatment. Michael also had witnesses brought in to explain statements made by Terri to the effect that she would refuse, at this time.

The court found the birth family’s witnesses to be unreliable, and found them to be giving self-serving explanations for changing stories between deposition and testimony. The judge saw them, and saw their faces, and heard them speak, and did not find them believable. This is part of the job of a judge – just because someone says it doesn’t mean it’s credible.

On the other hand, the witnesses Michael presented were not self-serving, and willingly admitted to information that undercut their claims. In short, they seemed to be people who were interested in helping the court find the truth, and their testimony was that Terri wouldn’t have wanted to be kept alive “with tubes and stuff”.

The court ruled that there was clear and convincing evidence that, if Terri could speak for herself, she would refuse further medical treatment. The court ordered her guardian to discontinue medical treatment.

This is not spelled out in the original decision, but *is* spelled out in a later appeals court decision.

Michael Schiavo did not order his wife’s medical treatment stopped, other than insofar as he, as guardian, carried out the orders of the court. And he took the path that gave her birth family the maximum ability to have their voice heard, rather than using his power as guardian to force the issue. Think about this: they didn’t have to prove she wanted to be kept alive – they only had to cast enough doubt on his evidence for the court to rule that it was not clear and convincing, which is a very high standard (it’s the highest civil standard, IIRC).

And what did he get in return? It’s something to think about when you remember the adage that no good deed goes unpunished.

Whenever I think that there’s an absence of leadership on part of the Right, this is one of the things that sticks out most. The Right was willing to believe that over a dozen judges ignored errors in the law and ignored the civil rights of a helpless woman. The Right was willing to believe that Michael Schiavo was a terrible man. They were explicitly unwilling to stand up and try to stop the vilification of the legal system or of Michael Schiavo.

Here’s a proposed revision of “shrill” that includes a cross-ref to a new entry, Order of the Shrill (coming soon)

Shrill — Telling the unpopular truth. Someone who is dubbed shrill is the polar opposite of a Serious Person. To be shrill is to make accurate analyses or predictions which are ignored or rejected because the shrill one has been so driven to exasperation by the mendacity or idiocy of opponents that the shrill one fails to phrase things as delicately as the Villagers and Serious People require. The socially acceptable Village response to shrillness is Pearl-Clutching. Noted examples of shrill people include Howard Dean, Al Gore, and Paul Krugman (aka The Shrill One), though even members in good standing of the Serious People have been known to be driven to shrillness by the sheer incompetence of the Bush Administration. The correct usage takes the form of “Paul Krugman is shrill.” It should be noted, however, that Michael Moore is not shrill, but rather, Michael Moore is fat. By 2008, being dubbed “shrill” had become a badge of honor in many corners (not exclusively on the left) of the blogosphere. Ironically, one of the earliest wielders of “shrill” as a term of abuse (Sully on Krugman) has become one of the shrillest of the shrill. See also Order of the Shrill.

Sandbox modeling — An effort to gauge the accuracy and success of an ungodly complex, multi-faceted military maneuver by testing out said theory with GI Joe figures and plastic army men in son’s sandbox.

Order of the Shrill — Founded in 2004 and continually updated by UC Berkeley economist Brad DeLong and friends, the Ancient and Hermetic Order of the Shrill has a rich history. The Order of the Shrill acknowledges those who have “joined the ranks of the highly critical who have been driven into shrill unholy madness by the mendacity, malevolence, incompetence, and disconnection from reality of George W. Bush and his administration.” Since January 2009, the shrill are also driven into unholy madness by the intellectually dishonest and incoherent clown show that has become the GOP, its “leaders” (Limbaugh, Beck, Bachman, Steele, et al), apologists and useful idiots (Faux News, the Kaplan Daily, freshwater economists, global warning denialists, et al), and assorted teabaggers, birthers, and other variety of wingnut. As the Shrillblog has documented, even such Serious People as David Frum have on occasion been welcomed into the ranks of the shrill. At the instigation of The Editors, a Lovecraftian initiation was devised for full induction into the mysteries of the Order, ending with the immortal words: Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Krugman R’lyeh wagn’nagl fhtagn! Aaaaiiiiii!!!!

I put this in yesterday’s open thread, but it must have been inadvertently overlooked.

“Reality has a well known liberal bias.” – Stephen Colbert, White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, 4/29/2006

Truthiness is what you want the facts to be, as opposed to what the facts are. What feels like the right answer as opposed to what reality will support – Stephen Colbert
October 17, 2005 The Colbert Report

def; slang: When an event, news or outcome tends to favor a Democratic effort or individual, MSM and general right wing pundits and purveyors will declare that it is really good news for the republican party as a whole. This declaration ultimately results in John McCain, and other republican/right wing notables, appearing on Sunday morning news show to further elucidate and at the same time, obfuscate the issue.

Looking at the long term, it might be a good idea to have an entry for Orly Taitz, for when her 15 + too-damned-many minutes of fame are finally up and she’s relegated to the dustbin of blog history. Since she’s still spewing insanity (and the dutiful media are reporting on it), however, I have no idea what would be the best, most concise citation for her.

@John T: It’s an old usenet tradition. At least. It’s from the ascii era, when you could not bold or underline or italicize, but wanted the meaning to come across in what you were writing. First instance turns it on, second turns it off. One gets pretty used to it after a short while. Underscore is italic, as well. dash dash does something as well. hang on.

Paultards – Cultish followers of Rep. Ron Paul (D-TX), during his 2008 race for the GOP nomination for the Presidency; a conjunction of “Paul” and “Retard.”

Jomentum – Conjunction of “Joe” and “momentum”, used by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) in his Oklahoma primary defeat in his 2004 race for the Democratic nomination for Presidency. Lieberman thought his newly coined word was cool, but it only showed how awkward and out of touch he was.

Paultards – Cultish followers of Rep. Ron Paul (D-TX), during his 2008 race for the GOP nomination for the Presidency; a conjunction of “Paul” and “Retard.”

Jomentum – Conjunction of “Joe” and “momentum”, used by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) in his Oklahoma primary defeat in his 2004 race for the Democratic nomination for Presidency. Lieberman thought his newly coined word was cool, but it only showed how awkward and out of touch he was.

The Reality-Based Community – A response to an anonymous Bush Administration source, who at the height of their power after their 2004 victory in the Presidential election, referred to themselves as being so powerful that they “created their own reality,” while reporters — members of the lowly reality-based community — could only write about it. Bloggers responded by designating themselves as being proud of the Reality-Based Community.

Dog whistle– a statement whose true meaning is only supposed to be heard by people who agree with the speaker, much as a dog whistle is so high pitched that people can’t hear it. Frequently used by Republicans attempting to prove their wingnut bona fides without looking bad to saner voters.

Wingnut– contraction of right wing nut. Used to refer to the crazy people on the right wing of the Republican party. C.f. moonbat.

Paultards – Cultish followers of Rep. Ron Paul (D-TX), during his 2008 race for the GOP nomination for the Presidency; a conjunction of “Paul” and “Retard.”

Jomentum – Conjunction of “Joe” and “momentum”, used by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) in his Oklahoma primary defeat in his 2004 race for the Democratic nomination for Presidency. Lieberman thought his newly coined word was cool, but it only showed how awkward and out of touch he was.

The Reality-Based Community – A response to an anonymous Bush Administration source, who at the height of their power after their 2004 victory in the Presidential election, referred to themselves as being so powerful that they “created their own reality,” while reporters — members of the lowly reality-based community — could only write about it. Bloggers responded by designating themselves as being proud of the Reality-Based Community.

someone who believes, with great melodrama, anything and everything, no matter how ludicrous, put before him that accuses the first black president of treason, and who will never believe a single fact, no matter how palpable, that attests to his membership in the country club called america.

Heck of a job [insert name] — Adapted from “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job,” GW Bush’s immortal praise of grossly incompetent FEMA administrator Michael Brown’s disastrous performance in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Used sarcastically to comment on Republican hackery, whether due to a person’s lack of qualifications (e.g. Bush Admin practice of hiring political cronies, wingnuts or fundies), corruption (especially of the military-homeland security-industrial complex variety), or ideological hostility to a government any larger than can be “drowned in a bathtub,” in the words of Movement Conservative and anti-tax zealot Grover Norquist.

Flying Monkeys (n) – A term used to describe Michelle Malkin’s band of idiot followers. Upon the piercing screech of their queen, Flying Monkeys embark upon a campaign to smear, harass and otherwise intimidate anyone who has raised the ire of Our Lady of Perpetual Outrage. Marked by extreme paranoia and a feckless, venomous stupidity. (See also: Granite Countertops, Our Lady of Perpetual Outrage)

Hoocodanode (who could have knowed): The protestation by high-level officials that no one could have predicted the consequences of certain major decisions, despite documented evidence of many knowledgeable, well-researched people and organizations that did exactly that: e.g. 9/11, Iraq War, and global financial crisis. Originally attributed to Condoleezza Rice, but in wide usage throughout the Bush Administration.

The “Underpants Gnomes” refers to yet another South Park episode, in which a group of gnomes run around stealing people’s underwear. It turns out that they have plan that goes:

1) Steal underpants
2) ???
3) Profit

This general theme has been recycled endlessly as an example of either wishful thinking or lack of adequate planning. So the argument is that Republican fiscal policy goes something like:

1) Lower taxes
2) ???
3) Higher revenues

This is similar to the classic Sidney Harris cartoon in which the central step on a blackboard full of equations is “Then a miracle occurs”, and a commentator says “I think you should be more explicit here in step two”.

A quotation from a Megan McArdle article at The Atlantic where she attempts to refute part of Matt Taibbi’s Goldman Sachs article by arguing that although his facts are correct, the conclusion he draws from them is faulty.

Now used sarcastically to dismiss a person’s argument without attempting to address the facts.

birthers: any one who believes that Barrack Obama presidency is the successful culmination of a grand conspiracy to undermind the Constitution, which was started in the 60’s by his parents, the State of Hawaii, the government of Kenya, the media, the Democratic party, and (most likely) George Soros. See also: lunatic

Dirty Fucking Hippies – Mythical drugged out peacenik vegetarians who stagger out every night from their lair in Woodstock to haunt the dreams of conservatives. Associating or agreeing with them in any way is a career ending move inside the Beltway. Example: “I knew the Iraq war was a foolish mission that would kill thousands of American soldiers and tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis, but I pretended it was a good idea because I didn’t want anyone to think I was a Dirty Fucking Hippy” – Joe Klein.

Oh, and it is not unique to Balloon Juice, but shouldn’t “Randroid” be added as well.

Randroid (n) – Devoted follower of Ayn Rand. The Randroid has a tendency to compare and analogize real world events to the make-believe events of Ayn Rand’s unreadable glibertarian fantasies, “Atlas Shrugged” and “The Fountainhead “. Frequently heard ritualistically chanting “the market” as the answer to any and every question, denouncing their enemies as “parasites” and threatening to “Go Galt” at, well, some time to be determined later.

Snark: Intentionally sarcastic and hopefully witty commentary on a given subject often in reply to a previous comment. May be meant as mocking critisim or as a friendly jibe. May or may not be a boojum.

@BDeevDad: Oh you betcha it’s just something that Sarah Palin said a lot. In place of “yes” or “sure”. It’s a classic Midwesterner thing.

I’m surprised that people aren’t mentioning Tina Fey more in the explanations for these Palin things, I’m sure her using “Also” in her sketches was a big part of what made that stick across the blogosphere, also.

THNAD is for Thandners and oh, are they sad, oh! The big one, you see, has the smaller one’s shadow. The shadow the small Thnadner has should be his. I don’t understand it, but that’s how it is. A terrible mix-up in shadows, gee wiz!

FLOOB is for Floob-Boober-Bab-Boober-Bubs, who bounce in the water like blubbery tubs. They’re no good to eat. You can’t cook ’em like steaks. But they’re handy for crossing small oceans and lakes.

Longtime lurker…Am I the only one that thought “Clap Louder” was a Citizen Kane reference? (Spoiler Alert!) I thought it was a shout out to the scene where Kane is alone in clapping loudly after his wife’s epic fail opera performance. Then he pens his newspapers glowing review of the show and performance for the next days paper.

Guess I need to bone up on Peter Pan for Jacko and Balloon Juice lingo.

Of course, including “I Am Aware of All Internet Traditions” in this dictionary means that being aware of the fact that someone once claimed to be “Aware of All Internet Traditions” is itself a new Internet Tradition, of which internet users must now be aware in order to accurately claim to be “Aware of All Internet Traditions.”

I wonder if the person who once claimed to be “Aware of All Internet Traditons” is aware of this new Internet Tradition.

Okay, maybe four of five years. It’s got a whole bunch of the terms here in it, i.e. Friedman Unit, Freeper, Wingnut, all of the acronyms, and so on. Not the unique to BJ stuff of course, but the blogosphere-wide ones. Could help in populating this one anyway.

I wonder if the person who once claimed to be “Aware of All Internet Traditions” is aware of this new Internet Tradition.

I like to think that he’s not only stopped posting on blogs out of pure shame (being on the receiving end of one of the left wingosphere’s all-time finest smackdowns), but has thrown out his computer and had the phone lines stripped out.

birthers: a. pron. “burturs” interdisciplinary eyelash fetishists
b. a school of political science known for challenging the theory of “plausible deniability” with a more advanced state of patter known as “quantum deniability,” in which the simple utterance of rhetorical questions becomes a radical form of proof, as the answer can only exist in the context of a vast conspiracy that seeks to destroy the question – making it impossible to judge the power of the implication against the truth of the denial.
c. proponents of a rare form of government in which all politicians are impeached before they are elected. see: Gitmo logic, O RLY?

OK, so I apologize if this is long. I went through this thread and tried to find every word or phrase that I could that didn’t seem to already be in the dictionary and that seemed even remotely reasonable. If yours isn’t there, I apologize; if its any consolation, it’s more likely that I overlooked it than that I decided it was unworthy of including. Because I can cheat, I’ve snuck in a couple extra of my own and from yesterday’s open thread. I haven’t included any of the definitions, hyperlinks, or explanatory text from when people proposed these, because it would have become (more) cumbersome; you can always try searching on the page.
In any case, for your convenience, a fairly complete list of words proposed to still need definitions is below. I’ve broken it into chunks: A-F, G-M, N-S, and T-Z. The first of these follows:

I know there are a lot of worthy bloggers out there, but as many of these came from the ‘somewhat popular blogger’, Tbogg himself, I personally believe he deserves his own entry. Demonic Conservative Ridicule Machine, indeed.

“They’re not X, They’re Just Y” – Phrase appropriated from Glibertarian robot fetishist Glenn Reynolds. In 2002, Reynolds, in typical coy and gutless fashion, implied anti-war protesters were traitors, suggesting that “They’re not anti-war, they’re just on the other side.” Has been re-appropriated in the Obama era to criticize wingnuts who make statements about Obama that would have been attacked by self-same wingnuts as traitorous if uttered by liberals about Bush. See href=”http://www.balloon-juice.com/?p=25216″ here and href=”http://www.balloon-juice.com/?p=25883″ here

Why do people think wanker needs an entry? It’s a common British and Australian insult that is making it’s way into the American lexicon.

In the blogosphere the term has been popularized largely through its extensive use by blogging monolith Atrios, and he uses the term in a particular way that’s evolved over time and isn’t necessarily the same as the more generic Commonwealth meaning, with which I am also familiar. Equally disrespectful, but more precise in its meaning, if you see what I mean. Not that I’m able to express it well.

During the Obama 2008 campaign for President, a variant phrase to express magical thinking, based on an image of the President in an Atlanta alternative newspaper, was And [I want] a Unicorn and Skittles.

Other popular variants used in office meetings include And [I want] a Caribbean Island.

Shooting the Watermelon
A ridiculous investigation to ‘prove’ a complete absurdity.

As popularized by rightard nutcase congressman Dan Burton, who shot at a watermelon in his backyard in front of reporters which somehow proved that Vince Foster did not commit suicide but was murdered by the Clintons.
Can also apply to birthers pointing out obscure details of Obama’s Hawaiian birth certificate insisting these ‘prove’ it is fraudulent.

Glennuendo – The act of drawing a darkly ominous inference from an opponent’s failure to discuss a political issue. Inspired by Perfesser Instacracker, of course, and coined by moi, chez Atrios, in 2003ish.

An excuse to slip in a lame ass defamatory accusation without actually accusing your opponent of something. Oh, and and opening yourself to a libel suit or widespread scorn for the stupidity of the accusation.

Wingnut Event Horizon – An event that is always happening, yet never ever happens. Occasionally, a wingnut will say/write/blog/publish/fart something so ridiculous, so close minded, so full of hate and scorn, yet free from thought and consideration, that anyone hearing it will be forced to conclude that said wingnut will never be taken seriously/be linked to/have a Time article written about him again. However, like a sick twisted perversion of the actual horizon, no matter how far you walk away from the Wingnut Event Horizon, they’re no further away.

Wanker: a person, usually a Beltway insider, who presumes to present himself or herself as a thoughtful, insightful opinion leader, but who instead spews misinformation, disinformation, or out of date Beltway insider shibboleths.

Circlular firing squad: a group of generally like minded politicians who engage in a public display of disagreement over an issue or incident resulting in a loss of credibility for all of tghem

Circlejerk: a group of likeminded pundits, politicians, or other public figure engage in a public display of selfcongratulatory behavior, usually to promote a policy that hasn’t got much support outside of the circle of jerks

Some people say–phrased used by our librul media personalities to give themsleves plausible deniability while pushing rightwing memes or Beltway assumptions

Snark–a combination of sarcasism and sneering

Librul–snarky reference to Bush’s fake Texas accent, by extention a sneer at wingnuts in general

Meme = a replicating idea which is capable of evolution at it spreads. On the intertubez of the wingnut world it is a crazy idea which quickly evolves and becomes a totally insane story as it changes asymptotically towards the axis of wingularity.

And a pony- A classic childhood wish. Tacked onto a prediction or request to indicate that it is actually fantastic and/or wishful thinking. Origin is a Belle Waring post titled “If Wishes Were Horses, Beggars Would Ride—A Pony!”, which in turn was inspired by a Calvin & Hobbes strip.

Kristol Ball. Nickname for professional Serious Person Bill Kristol. Ironically monikered for his near-perfect ability to incorrectly predict events, to the point that left-leaning bloggers frequently joke that any prognostication from the Kristol Ball indicates that the opposite result will certainly occur. Son of Irving Kristol and a beneficiary of Neocon Nepotism and Wingnut Welfare.

Neocon Nepotism– Career advancement, influence, and/or prestige of notable neoconservatives due less to their achievements and more to a fortunate choice of parentage. Notable examples include John Podhoretz (son of Norman); Bill Kristol (son of Irving); Jonah Goldberg (son of Lucianne); Frederick, Robert and Kimberly Kagan (sons and daughter-in-law of Donald); and George W. Bush (son of George H. W). Curiously, those involved in neocon nepotism are frequently opposed to affirmative action on the grounds that “It subverts meritocracy.” Neocon nepotism is usually contingent upon loyalty to the present party dogma, as exemplified by Christopher Buckley who was compelled to leave the National Review (founded by his father, William F. Buckley) after endorsing Barack Obama for president.

Birther – conspiracy theorist who may or may not believe Obama was born in Kenya, Indonesia, or Hawaii, however, does not believe Hawaii is a State in the United States of America, ergo, no matter where Obama was born, he is not a natural citizen.

Green Lantern Theory. The Green Lantern Theory states that the main impediment preventing a goal from being achieved is a lack of willpower. Coined by Matt Yglesias to describe the thinking of Iraq hawks and neoconservative geopolitics, it has also been used to describe a similar mindset in other areas such as financial regulation. Conveniently, the theory cannot be disproved as any setback, military or otherwise, can simply be blamed on a lack of will, necessitating a redoubled effort with greater resolve. The name comes from the DC Comics character Green Lantern whose power ring can produce almost any effect imaginable so long as the wielder has sufficient power of will to call it into being.

birther — an individual who believes that (a) the presidency of Barack Obama was planned before he was even born as part of a diabolical, decades-long plot by his parents, the Kenyan (or Indonesian) government, and/or various liberal/socialist/NWO interests intent on destroying the United States; and that (b) this plot did not involve ensuring that Obama’s birth would take place in the United States

Apparently “Tweety” originated with one of his staffers (whatever the news room equivalent of an assistant is) who reported that his preferred hair dye is canary yellow. It actually really fits when you look at his mop too.

Death Panel – Wingnut interpretation of a provision in the health care reform bill (HR 3200, Sec. 1233) authorizing Medicare to pay for private, individual end-of-life consultations with one’s own doctor, wherein senior citizens will be compelled by law to appear before a “panel” of “beaurocrats” arbitrarily selected and appointed by the President and justify their continued existence. Coined by Sarah Palin on her Twitter feed: “The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.”

Thugs – Imaginary persons who, under the direction and control of the President, apparently go about the country threatening and inflicting physical harm upon ordinary people who oppose the President or his policies. See also “jackbooted thugs,” “Obama brownshirts.”

Joe the Plumber – a.k.a. Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, an unemployed, undereducated Everyman who became an overnight celebrity after being mentioned repeatedly in the third Presidential debate. Mr. Wurzelbacher became the avatar for the McCain/Palin campaign’s idea of “ordinary Americans” or “real Americans” and an unofficial “mascot” of the Republican ticket. See also: Joe Sixpack.

Joe Sixpack – A hypothetical person, allegedly representing (and rhetorically standing-in for) typical, average, working-class Americans, i.e., whatever the speaker believes that such people believe and want. Referred to often in speeches by the Republican presidential ticket and its supporters in 2008.

B. Hussein Obama – Sobriquet for then-candidate Barack Obama adopted and used by Ann Coulter and others once it became clear that he, and not Hillary Clinton, would be the Democratic nominee in 2008 and they needed to give wingnuts a reason to hate and fear the then-largely-unknown senator about whom they knew very little. Used to emphasize Obama’s Muslim-sounding middle name which happened to match the name of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, whom wingnuts believe was the third most evil person in history (after Hitler and Bill Clinton, not necessarily in that order).

“No one is asking the tough questions.” – Meme adopted by wingnuts to satisfy themselves as to why a particular Democratic politician, candidate or president has not yet admitted to being the evil socialist radical they all know he is. Also useful for attacking the MSM/SCLM for “not asking” said person about said evil intentions. See also: “He hasn’t answered the tough questions.”

So many comments I may have missed it, but I haven’t seen any reference to +3, the Dan rather ref for BWI (Blogging while intoxicated).

I’m also surprised the Balloon Juicers haven’t adopted the MichelleMalkinMath that’s become a popular hashtag at Twitter. Definition being something like, the mathematical theory that the attendance at any wingnut gathering must be multiplied by a factor of no less than 340% while any liberal gathering must be underestimated by the same degree. Can also be applied in any instance where wingnut gaming of links, e.g. continuously linking to each other using unsourced assertation, is equated to actual reach as proof of their majority status.

Wingnut Event Horizon: demarcates the point beyond which core wingnut beliefs are so far removed from reality that they can no longer affect nor be affected by it. A key identifying feature is that these concepts are readily accessible to wingnuts (and their observers) and yet incoherent to ordinary members of society. Examples might include discussion of “FEMA camps” and whether or not the Obama family will receive H1N1 vaccinations.

Care should be taken with the WEH; concerted wingnut effort has been known to successfully yank questions once thought to be reality-proof (“Where’s the birth certificate?”) into the lexicon of mainstream media where they are able to affect reality.

teh stupid – blanket term for wingnuttery, teabaggery, and related phenomena where they generate statements, slogans, memes and talking points that are especially ignorant, illogical, detached from reality, wholly made-up nonsense, or otherwise indicative of an underdeveloped intellect.

czar – (1) media-created shorthand for wordy, complicated official titles of advisers hired by a President to oversee and advise him on certain specific areas of government and public policy. (2) monarchic, totalitarian ruler of pre-Soviet Russia, e.g., Nicholas II. (3) unprecedented and unacceptable totalitarian power-grab used by the Obama administration to establish Communist dictatorship and destroy America from within.

As an infrequent commentator, may I humbly suggest adding the following phases to the BJ lexicon:

N-Dimensional chess: the claim that a seemingly regressive move by the Obama administration is part of a brilliant, hidden scheme by the zen master president that is undetectable to friends and foes alike, who are “merely playing checkers”. See the Bob Herbert’s editorial at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02.....ef=opinion

Obama = Boosh: Hyperbolic reference by liberal blog commentators frustrated with the Obama administration’s retention of some of GWB’s policies on civil liberties (see an unending number of blog entries by Glenn Greenwald at Salon.com, DailyKos, Firedoglake).

ACORN – Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now; a collection of community-based organizations in the United States that advocate for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing, and other social issues, which no one had ever heard of two years ago but is now apparently a giant, evil, corrupt, all-powerful force responsible for anything and everything that is wrong with America and that must be stopped before it destroys the country.

ACORN – (1) Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now; a collection of community-based organizations in the United States that advocate for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing, and other social issues, which no one had ever heard of two years ago but is now apparently a giant, evil, corrupt, all-powerful force responsible for anything and everything that is wrong with America and that must be stopped before it destroys the country. (2) Wingnut code for the “n” word.

wingnut fail – said to occur where wingnuts make public statements, usually loudly and in a hasty, careless and/or panicked fashion, that later turn out to be wrong, unwarranted, gross exaggerations, disproven, uncovered as lies, freaking out over nothing, or otherwise fail to have their desired effect. See also: birther fail.

Fourthbranch: Term for Cheney’s mistaken belief that as Vice President he was exempt from laws regarding the Executive Branch of government; hence Darth Cheney truly believed he was the “Fourth Branch” of government.

A blogosphere-developed research technique in which document analysis or research is opened the public.

Moneybomb

An activist fundraising technique developed within the blogosphere, usually for political purposes. The moneybomb is characterized as an intensive but short period of fundraising across multiple websites over a span of 24 or 48 hours.

ACORNization (or the ACORN factor): pumping up a minor scandal way beyond all proportion through deception and lies, then blaming other media for not covering the faux story enough or on your terms. Through this process does the scandal become the coverage itself.